In a Matter Of Seconds
by TheColdestWater
Summary: {Takes place at the end of the Edge of Disaster, part 2} "There are no buts, Astrid. We will get through this. And you know why? Because we're a family..." Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to make things better, it just starts to fall apart. And that's exactly what happened to Astrid. One-shot. Hiccup x Astrid. {Completed}


Normal POV

Everything seemed perfectly fine. Some Dragon Hunters began to retreat, but the other part didn't give up and still tried to fight, though there was no hope of winning.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were sitting on their dragon's back, had fun shooting at small boats, making them drown. Snotlout and Fishlegs did the same thing, only they didn't want to hurt hunters, so they tried to prevent them from reaching the Dragon's Edge. As for Hiccup, he was shooting a dead glare to Ryker. Astrid was the only one from the gang, who was on the ground, not on the back of her dragon. She and one of the twins, the blonde male exchanged glances like saying 'we did it' and smiled at each other.

But it was all too good to be true.

And in a matter of seconds, everything changed.

There was a dead silence.

Smiles faded, the laughter ceased, eyes widened from shock, and all heads turned to look at one point.

The blue eyes, which was always shining light, now was filled with pain, and tears had formed at the corner of her eyes. Her face was pale, silver drops were resting on her forehead, and deep sighs left her mouth as her chest was moving. The blonde girl slowly raised her shaking hand and gently placed it on her belly. Once she did it, her eyes widened. There.. there was a knife... the knife in her and blood, a lot of blood.

She was stabbed.

"Hiccup..." Astrid whispered as she collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"NO!" The auburn male widened his eyes when he saw an unconscious and helpless body lying on the ground. His eyebrows frowned in worry and anger as he knelt in front of Astrid, completely ignoring Ryker, who was near them.

Hiccup took her into his arms and began to gently shake her. **{Just like he did when she almost drowned.}**

"Astrid." He said softly. "Astrid, please." He raised his right hand and gently sheltered it to her left cheek, which had lost its all colors. Hiccup hugged her harder and moved his hand to her chest, to where her heart was, and it was still beating. Oh, thank Thor.

"Keep her safe, my boy." Hiccup's expression turned into an angry one. It was Ryker's voice.

Still holding Astrid in his arms, the auburn Viking turned his head and looked at the man standing next to him.

Ryker grinned and raised his right hand up, still smiling triumphantly. And once he did it, Heather and Windshear arrived and grabbed him by his arm, and they both flew into the distance. The black-haired girl's face was full of worry, she quickly glanced back to make sure that her best friend was in good hands, but she quickly calmed herself down, because Astrid was a fighter, and what could go wrong? Besides, Hiccup will be by her side all the time, right?

...

"Hiccup, would you stop pacing?!" Snotlout asked when he lost his patience. "Astrid will be fine! She's a fighter!" He said to his cousin and patted his shoulder.

At the moment, the whole gang, except for Astrid and Fishlegs, were beside Hiccup's hut, right next to the room where was lying unconscious Astrid. The twins were sitting on the ground, their backs against the wall, waited impatiently for some news, Snotlout tried to relax after a long journey from the Dragon's Edge to Berk and back. (The certainly auburn male sent him to get Gothi, that she would see Astrid's wound.) So Fishlegs helped her to bandage the blonde girl's wound. And then there's Hiccup, well...

...the auburn male was worried sick about her. Thor, he didn't even allow her to be treated in her own hut! AND, he even had to be kicked out of the room, that Gothi could calmly see and bandage the girl!

But it was understandable. Hiccup cared about her, he loved her and was determined to do everything to protect his girl.

"Snotlout is right, Hiccup." Now it was Ruffnut's voice. "She's strong." She said and looked at him.

Hiccup just shook his head. "No," he said. "You don't understand. This is different. I can feel it. It's like the last time when she almost drowned." Hiccup said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Gods, I have to see her! I just have to." Worry over his face.

"Hiccup!" Snotlout yelled, but he didn't listen to him.

The auburn male wanted to open the door of his room, but Fishlegs beat him to it and opened it himself. They all stood up as Hiccup's eyes met the fearful, confused green orbs.

The auburn viking widened his eyes. "Is... is she alright?" He said softly, looking at his friend, but Fishlegs just avoided the eyes contact. "Fishlegs?" He repeated, frowning his eyebrows.

The blonde guy looked to the ground and moved away a little, making a space that Hiccup could enter the room. He rushed to Astrid's bed (well his bed) and looked into her face. Her eyes were closed, and her cheeks had almost all its colors. Her mouth was slightly open, and from there spread a pleasant aroma, as her chest was moving at the same pace. That meant she was alive.

His eyes scanned her from head to her toes. Astrid was only with his blue shirt, which probably Gothi changed since it was drenched in blood. Her shoulders armor were removed and placed on a nearby chair. No skirt, just leggings, and near the bed were placed her boots.

The auburn male took Astrid's right hand in his and gently sheltered it to his lips, kissing her fingertips. Hiccup closed his eyes still feeling her warm hand in his, he slowly sighed. Something was wrong, something was really really wrong with Astrid, and he could feel it.

"She'll be fine, r-right?" Hiccup said when he looked at Fishlegs, who was standing near Gothi. "Fishlegs?" Hiccup tried again when he saw that Fishlegs looked down. "Gothi?" Well, it was a dumb question, because Gothi couldn't talk.

"She'll be fine, b-but..." after some time Fishlegs spoke, his voice was shaking. "But the knife..." He muttered the last part and it made them worry, especially Hiccup.

"But what?" The auburn male asked as he stood up and put his two hands on his shoulders, shaking him a little bit. "What is it, Fishlegs?" He said, his voice full of anxious.

"She won't walk." The blonde guy sadly whispered, forcing them all to gasp. It shocked everyone, but mostly the owner of the auburn hair. He pulled away from Fishlegs and looked at him as if he were some kind of monster with four heads, not believing what he just heard.

How, how could this happen?

How can such a vibrant, funny, good-hearted, beautiful girl like her be paralyzed?! God, how is he going to tell her this terrible new?! It will break her.

The auburn male rubbed his face and with one hand covered his mouth. How could he allow that to happen? Thor, he had to defend her, he had to be there with her and keep her safe! But no, he wasn't there when she needed him the most. Where was he then?

Feeling giult, Hiccup left the room.

"I'm gonna talk to him." Snotlout sighed as he followed his cousin.

The auburn male was watching the horizon.

"You know, Hiccup, she's strong-"

"Strong?!" Hiccup cut him off. Yeah, the auburn male was pissed off, he could tell. "Strong?!" He repeated again, but this time it sounded like an explanation than a question. "You don't get it, do you?! Always that word strong! She's strong." Hiccup looked at his cousin. "But she won't walk, Snotlout, and it will break her." His eyes were teary. "You have no idea how big is her heart."

"And that's why she'll need you," Snotlout said. "You mean a lot to her, with you by her side, she will be fine." He said and placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Be strong for her."

"Hiccup." It was Ruffnut's voice. "She woke up." This attracted the attention of the two cousins. The young Viking looked at Snotlout and nodded his head.

...

"H-hiccup." Her voice was weak as her smile, which quickly faded when she saw on his cheek a lonely tear rolling down. "What happened? What's wrong?" Astrid asked gently. She looked at the gang, seeing the pity and concern filled on their faces.

"Ryker stabbed you." He said and knelt down right beside her, just a few inches away from her face. "I was so worried about you." Hiccup said quietly, as he gently placed his hand on her cheek.

And then she remembered... there was ships, a lot of hunters, her and Tuffnut's plans.

"Are you guys okay?" She asked as she looked at their faces and soon smiled as he nodded. "Then there is nothing to worry about, it's just a scratch. When I'll go out of this bed, I'm gonna win the Dragon Racing, Haddock, so be ready." She smiled.

He squeezed her hand even harder, trying to hold back his tears.

"Can you help me to get up?" She asked when she tried to move, but winced. And only then she felt that something was wrong.

"Astrid, s-slow down..." He tried to calm her down when he saw anxiety in her eyes. "You were just stabbed. You only need to rest."

"No, it's... something's wrong..." She frowned a bit and tried to sit down again, but... but she couldn't. Something was wrong, but not because of the pain she felt in her belly at the moment, but then when she wanted to move her legs.

She tried again. First, she tried to move the right foot toes, but she not only been unable to do it, but also she didn't feel anything, and her face turned white with fear. She pulled her hand from Hiccup's palm and put it on her right thigh and rubbed it gently. But...again... she couldn't feel anything.

"H-hiccup?" Her voice trembled as she looked into the auburn male's one eye, then into the other, and so a few times, looking for answers. "H-hiccup, what-what is wrong with me? Why can't I feel my legs?"

The gang was silent. No one dared to utter a word. They didn't know what to say or how to tell her the terrible new that she will not be able to walk. How? How can you tell it by looking directly into the eyes of your beloved and seeing as her dreams are falling apart? Probably this isn't possible because it will be difficult.

"H-hiccup, please." She said softly, and her eyes begged for an explanation, again. The auburn male's face paled, and his voice disappeared somewhere inside. He had never seen her so scared, or helpless...

He took her small hand into his both and gently pat it. "The knife..." Hiccup started, his voice unsteady. "It d-damaged your spinal cord and... and..." Gods, he couldn't do it.

"And it paralyzed you..." Fishlegs said quietly, as gently as he could, and lowered his eyes to the ground, not wanting to see the blue ones. However, he quickly glanced at the owner of the auburn hair, to make sure that he did a good job by telling her the truth, but the auburn male only gave him a weak nod.

Hiccup returned his full attention to the blonde girl, his hand never left hers, and her baby blue eyes began to get watery. Her pink lips left a heavy, unsteady sigh as her eyes began to jump from one person to another. She pulled her hand away from his and slowly began to shake the head from side to side, not believing what has just been said. And a short time later, the room was filled with silent sobs.

"P-please, no.." Astrid sobbed. "It's not t-true. It can't be..." Her eyes looked straight into the green.

The young girl tried to sit down, but the wound in her belly and her legs forced her to wince and put the back of her head on a soft pillow, again. After several unsuccessful attempts, she broke down in tears and firmly closed his eyes, completely ignoring the pain and other voices calling out her name.

 _You won't walk. You won't run. You won't be able to feel the soft grass of summer under your feet. You won't fly or even enjoy the freedom. You will be disabled..._

However, she felt a warm hand on her face, which began to gently stroke her cheek. She slowly opened her teary eyes and looked at the owner of the hand. Astrid looked at the people who stood behind Hiccup and what she saw shocked her.

They all were here. Their faces were filled with concern. Snotlout stood at a distance, stood at the end of the bed with his head and hands bowed, he stood like a small child who did something wrong. At that time Fishlegs was near Gothi and his eyes rapidly scanned paper notes, which were in his hands, looked how he could help her. Her eyes widened even more when she saw the twins, Ruffnut with his both hands was covering her mouth, and her eyes shone with tears. Tuffnut stood by his sister's side, placed one of his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. And then Hiccup...

...A silver tear rolled down the auburn male's face. He was crying. His right hand rested on her cheek, and his eyes looked at her. He knelt very close to the blonde girl, left hand holding her right.

"Shh, M'lady, shh..." He said soothingly when he heard another sob leaving her pink lips.

But she only shook her head slowly. "I won't walk." She sobbed as from her eyes began to flow more silver droplets. The young Viking squeezed her hand more firmly when he felt her moving.

"Shh, calm down, Astrid, calm down." His thumb began to stroke her cheek. "Don't move." He said quietly, but gently. "You'll only hurt yourself." With that, he put his left hand on her tummy, but so gently that it wouldn't harm her even more, he slightly lifted her clean shirt up and looked at the bandage, which had a small red dot.

"I swear I will do everything that you would walk again." He swore.

"What if..." sniff. "...what if I won't," sniff. "what am I going to do then?"

Hiccup frowned. "Of course you'll walk again." He said.

"B-but-" This time he cut her off by putting his thumb on her lips. A small blush appeared on her cheeks when he did it.

"There are no buts, Astrid." The auburn male said puling his hand away from her cheek but placing it near her head to support his balance. "We will get through this. And you know why?" He asked and she shook her head, slowly. "Because we're a family..."


End file.
